Handle lock for hinged handle utensils



Feb.. 8, 1949. J; w. M'OCKABEE 2,460,840

HANDLE LOCK FOR HINGED HANDLE UTENSILS Filed Sept. 26, 1944 IN V EN TOR.

resilience of the grippingarm 23.

attaching member is bifurcated and these bifurf,

cated ends are rolled, as indicated at i5, to pro- Yvide a journal for reception of the hinge pin I4; n

A horizontally extending centrally located emlock to disengage and the cup tips, wasting the liquid and usually wetting the holder of the cup and others in the immediate vicinity and, possibly, wetting other food.

In` my, new and improvedcup theY sliding lock I1 is positively held against accidental disengagement by outwardly directed tension in the hinge VIarm 25 of the handle. The raised projection 22 bossed projection 22 is provided inthe attaching.

member II in the line of travel of the' Vhandle Afor a purpose to be hereinafter described, andthe completed member is securedto the back'wall of thecup by rivets I2, or other suitable means.

is elevated suciently above the normal plane of th hinge arm 25 to cause the hinge arm to engage Y the projection 22 midway between its pivoted end and the place at which the lock I1 rests on the hingez arm when the. lock is in locking position. Thus, the projection acts as a fulcrum, tending Handle I3 is formed from any suitableime.-

tallic bar or sheet material, preferably corrosion resisting steel, and has horizontal and vertical gripping portions 23 and 24, respectively, and a hinge arm 25 depending from the end ofY the horizontal gripping portion 2,3.` The horizontal and vertical gripping portions of the handle are to keep the upper end of the arm 25 spaced from the zsides of the cup so that it must be forced inwardly by pushing inwardly on the end of the horizontal grippingportion 23 of the handle to joinedby a small open loop..26 for increasing the Y The end .of the hinge arm is rolledas at I6, to freely -re- Y ceive the hinge pin Ill used in securing the handle to the attaching member I I. Y

In assembled'relation, the rolled end I5 is re.-

ceived between the rolled bifurcatedends I5 of the attaching member I I, and after the pin I4 is inserted, the rolled ends I5 of the attaching niemberlare tightened on the pin I4 to hold the'latter in'pl'ace.Y This mounting permits the handle to swing freely on the hinge pin I4 so that it may be' raised to operative position, as shown inV Figure 1, or swung around to'inoperative position with the hinge arm 25 and the vertical and .hori-f zontal gripping portions 24 and 23 nesting along the'side walls and bottom of the cup. The handle is held in the latter position by the resilient action ofthe loop 26 pressing the vertical arm 24 against thefront wall of the cup III.` .After the handle "is formed, it may be heat treated to give itthe proper resilience and, if desired, it may be plated with corrosion and rust-resisting material. .I

VThe sliding lock l1 is formed from a iiat steel plate split longitudinally at each end for a portion .of its length. Opposed end portions are y turned 'backY upon the. body of the lock, spaced therefrom to form. clips 28 for embracing j the edges of the `handleto'fslidablysecure the lock on thehinge arm 25 of the handle. The remainingend 'portions are odset inwardly toform wings I8V which extend outwardly from each end of the lock andare received behind the lugs I9 on the handle attaching member to hold the handle in operative position.` When it is desired to swing the handle out of operative positionfthe sliding lock I'I is moved-upwardly until the wingsl disengagepfrom the lugsIQ. The handle may then b'e'swung to inoperative position. Y Athe canteen cups, as presently manufactured, the handle is held in raised position; by the sliding lock I'I which loosely `fits behind the lugs` III.` Aslong asthe cup is held in upright position,

the lock will remain in positioneven though the cup isempty, but in suchV a case,lif it is jostledy about, or is allowed to swing freely asit is carried in the hand, or when it is dipped into the scalding bucket, preparatory to going throughi the chow line,V the sliding lock may slide partly outof en. gagement with the lugsA I9, andwhen liquid is poured intopthe cup the weight `of Vit.. causes the bring it into a position where the sliding lock I'I can be made to engage behind the lugs I9. When the handle is then released, the outwardly directedA tension inthe hinge arm causes the lock to be forcibly held in. engagement with the lugs I9, and accidental slipping of the lock isprevented in any position in which the cup may be held even though it is empty. AThe lock Il .may be disengaged by pushing inwardly on the horizontal portion 23 of the handle .with a force sucient to overcome the tension in therarm 25 and then moving the lock up on'the arm out of the path ofthe lugs I9. Y

In Figure 4, I havel illustrated a modification ofthe invention in which I have provided an embossed projection 29 Iinfthe hinge arm 25 of the handlainstead ofthe attaching member II. The operation of this modication is similar to the operation of the preferred embodiment of the invention'.

It willV be obvious that other modifications may be made to .provide .a Vprojection onwhich the handlecan be fulcrumed. Such aprojection may evenbe obtained by locating certain of the rivets I 2V by which the attaching member is secured to the v'cup in such a position that one or more ofthem form afprojection on which the arm 25 will fulcrum.

Y Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentfisfaslfollows: j

1. In a canteen cupV orother utensil having a handle, andahing'e for pivotedly' connecting said handle to` said utensil,11neans forV locking the handlein Vcup lsupporting position comprising a xed locking element andfslideable locking element engageable with said xed element for disengageably Ysupporting said handle in cup supporting position, and means spaced from said fixed locking element andY located in the line of travel of said handle, said last-named means acting on said handle and opposed by said element-s for frictionally locking said-slideable element in handle supporting position.`

2. In acanteen cup or other utensil having a hinged handle, meanslfor locking the handle in cup supporting position comprising a fixed locking element and a slide .engageable with said xed locking element for disengageably supporting said handle'in Vcup supporting position, and means spaced from said xed locking element for producing tension in said handle in a direction to be opposed by said slide when the latter is in handle supporting position for frictionally locking said slide in the said position.'V

.23. In a canteen cup'or other utensil having a, hinged handle, means for. locking thehandle in cup supporting position comprising a iixed locking element, a slide engageable with said iixed locking element for disengageably supporting said handle in cup supporting position, and a projection spaced from said xed locking element and positioned for engaging said handle when the latt-er is in cup supporting position, said projection producing a tension in said handle in a direction to be opposed by said slide when the latter is in handle supporting position for frictionally locking said slide in the said position.

4. In a canteen loup or other utensil having a hinged handle, means for locking the handle in cup supporting position comprising a fixed locking element, a slide engageable with said fixed locking element for disengageably supporting said handle in cup supporting position, and a projection spaced from said fixed locking element and positioned for engaging said handle when the latter is in cup supporting position, said projection producing an outwardly directed tension in isaid handle when the latter is in cup` supporting position opposed by said slide for frictionally locking the latter in handle supporting position, said handle being adapted to be moved to position for disengaging said slide upon the application of an inwardly directed force thereon suicient to overcome the outwardly directed tension therein.

5. In a canteen cup or other utensil having a hinged handle, means for locking the handle in cup supporting position comprising a fixed locking element, a slide engageable with said iixed locking element for disengageably supporting said handle in cup supporting position, land an ernbossment spaced from said xed locking element and projecting outwardly from the plane of lthe walls of said cup adapted to be engaged by said handle when the latter is in cup supporting position for producing tension therein, said slide opposing the tension in said handle when the slide is in handle supporting position for irictionally locking the slide in the said position.

6. In a canteen cup or other utensil having a hinged handle, means for locking the handle in cup supporting position comprising a iixed locking element, a slide engageable` with said fixed locking element for disengageably supporting said handle in cup supporting position, and a projection on said handle adapted to engage said cup at a point spaced from said fixed locking-element when said handle is in cup supporting position for producing tension therein, said slide opposing the tension in said handle for frictionally looking the slide in handle supporting position.

JOHN W. MOCKABEE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PA'I'ENTS Number Name Date 403,656 Gerstle May 21, 1889 571,851 Wright Nov. 24, 1896 643,492 Fromholz Feb. 13, 1900 883,652 Lenschow et al Mar. 31, 1908 1,077,946 Walk Nov. 4, 1913 1,163,211 Chandler Dec. 7, 1915 1,333,494 Kilminster Mar. 9, 1920 2,059,098 Goodrum Oct. 27, 1936 2,386,284 Wynn Oct. 9, 1945 

